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The Baltimore Ravens are in the AFC championship game for the fifth time in franchise history, advancing to the conference championship for the first time in 11 seasons. Baltimore will host an AFC title game for the first time since 1971, back when the city was the home of the Colts.
Baltimore has been arguably the best team in football this season, as the Ravens have the most wins (11) and highest point differential (+202) by any team in any season in NFL history (including playoffs). The Ravens are the first team in NFL history to lead the NFL in scoring defense, sacks and takeaways. They are also the first team since the 1996 Green Bay Packers to have a First Team All-Pro quarterback and the No. 1 scoring defense.
Reaching the conference championship is no easy task. Here’s how the Ravens got to this point.
Notable acquisitions
Todd Monken: The Ravens lured Monken away from Georgia to be their offensive coordinator in what was arguably the best move of the offseason. Monken made Lamar Jackson an MVP again, as Jackson completed a career-high 67.2% of his passes for 3,678 yards with 24 touchdowns to seven interceptions for a 102.7 rating — while also rushing for 821 yards and leading the league with 5.5 yards per carry. The Ravens offense was fifth in points per possession (2.37) after ranking 17th (1.90) the season prior.
Odell Beckham Jr.: Part of a revamped wide receiver group in Baltimore, the Ravens signed Beckham to a one year, $15 million deal. The emergence of Zay Flowers took away targets from Beckham, but he has been a deep threat in Monken’s offense with 35 catches for 565 yards and three touchdowns (16.1 yards per catch).
Jadeveon Clowney: Signed to a one-year deal as the replacement for Jason Pierre-Paul, Clowney thrived in Mike Macdonald’s defense. He had the best year of his career, tying a career high in sacks (9.5) and notching a career high in pressures…
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Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/how-ravens-reached-2024-afc-championship-game-key-moves-turning-point-most-crucial-win-full-season-results/
Author : Jeff Kerr
Publish date : 2024-01-26 19:39:04
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